Pikachu's Hardest Choice
by Nod-Flareon
Summary: Togepi digs up a Thunderstone, Ash keeps it, Pikachu faces a choice to evolve or not to evolve.


Pikachu's Hardest Choice.  
  
It was a glorious day, sun was shining, the skies were clear and the temperature was just perfect. Me, Ash, Misty and Brock were taking a rest on a beautiful white sand beach and the smell of the ocean breeze made us feel relaxed before we even sat down. I was playing with Togepi making sandcastles while my trainer and friends were asleep. Togepi was digging a hole in the sand, my guess was that he was looking for sea shells but I was wrong. Togepi pulled out an emerald green stone out from the hole he dug and he began to walk towards me, I got a closer look at the stone and I saw a yellow lightening bolt flash in the middle. Knowing what it was I jumped back afraid of the stone. I shrieked in shock of the stone waking Ash and his friends. "What? What's wrong?" He shouted as he jumped to his feet. I ran up to his leg and tugged on his jeans. He looked down and picked me up. "Pikachu! What's wrong?" He asked as he saw my shocked expression. I just pointed down at Togepi who was laughing and juggling the stone. I jumped onto his shoulder as he bent down a took to stone from the egg pokemon and then he looked at me. I worried that he was going to touch me with that, that thing but he didn't he just looked at me and then the stone. "He's thinking of evolving me" I thought hoping he wasn't. I was hoping he would throw the retched thing in the sea but to my horror he shoved it into his pocket awaiting his decision to evolve me. For the rest of the day on the beach I played with Togepi and now and then I looked back to Ash.  
  
We spent the night on the beach. I couldn't sleep as my mind was on the Thunder Stone in his pocket. "Is he going to evolve me? Is he going to let me decide?" I asked myself over and over until a new question entered my mind. "Do I want to evolve?". I've been a Pikachu all the time since I joined Ash a few years ago but I had learned all I can as a Pikachu. Fear of losing my personality was the main reason why I was stopping myself from touching the stone as I remembered what happened to Charmander when he evolved. Charmander had changed completely, no sign of my old friend in him what so ever and was the same when he evolved into his final form "Charizard". I soon dozed off and fell asleep. I had a dream. I dreamt that I was a Raichu, I was checking myself out, I was enjoying my new form, my new legs and feet, my new tail, my new body and my new found power. I all so dreamt that Ash still liked me and his dream self said "I will always like for who you are". I woke up with the thoughts of evolving stronger than ever but I chose to fight the thoughts for now.   
  
I was quiet for the whole morning as I battled my thoughts. Ash could see I had something on my mind and like the kind of person he was he wanted to help. Ash stopped and knelt beside me, I looked up to see his face. His face was full of worry (He as never seen me look so unhappy before) and I just couldn't help nut looking at his pocket as well. Ash must of saw me shoot a look at the pocket as he looked and pulled out the stone. I just stood there watching my trainer bring it closer, my mind said move but my body stayed still. "Do you want to evolve?" He asked very worried now. I shook my head saying "NO" but my mind was saying "You Fool". I knew sooner or later I would evolve due to life. Ash seemed to get a happy expression when I shook my head but I could tell he didn't want me to evolve but I will soon.  
  
We made our way down a path coming close to a familiar city. "Celadon". The building size still overwhelmed me as to them I was nothing but an ant. Ash picked me up as we entered the Pokemon Centre. Nurse Joy came and greeted us as she saw us come. "Hello Ash, may I help you?". She asked. "Could you please give my pokemon a check up Nurse Joy". Replied Ash. Ash the nurse carried me off I saw Ash place the stone on a nearby table.   
  
I came out from the examination room with Ash's other pokemon an hour later and I saw Ash wasn't in the room but Misty and Brock were. I wandered over to Misty who had her head on the table and I tapped her leg. Misty picked me up, gave me a quick hug and set me down on the table where a bowl of Brock's best PokeChow lay. My thoughts of the stone suddenly vanished and were replaced by the thought of hunger. I walked over to the bowl and began to eat this delicious pokechow until I saw the stone again right there in front of me on the other side of bowl. I stopped eating and I sat with one pellet in my paw and I stared at the gleaming stone as all my thoughts focused on question to evolve. "Pikachu is there something wrong?" I heard Misty ask. I spun round and shoved the pellet in my mouth and said. "Pika" in a force happy tone and turned back to the food. Ash came back round about 5:00pm with a bag full of poke treats for me and the others. He gave me a something a collar or a necklace or something like that and it had a small brash plate in the shape of thunderbolt with my name inscribed on it. I started to cry when he put it me and I leapt into is arms and hugged him. He looked at me with tears forming in his own eyes he said. "This collar is to symbolize our relationship Pikachu, I will always love as you are my pokemon". I looked up at him with a big smile on my face. "Pika pi" (I love you to) I replied.   
  
That night I remembered all the Raichu's I've met in the past and each one shown me the qualities of being a Raichu. LT Surge's Raichu shown me that a Raichu can be more than three times stronger that a Pikachu. Katrina's Raichu shown me that Raichu's can be just as pleasant as other pokemon and Kay's Raichu shown me that a Raichu can still hold its Pikachu personality. I thought very hard and long trying to decide if I wanted to evolve or not. Remembering the three Raichu's I've met I can see all the good things about being one. I looked at my sleeping trainer and I made my decision. I jumped up onto the table and approached the Thunderstone. When I sat with it at my feet I hesitated for a few minutes, I then reached down to touch the stone, I moved my paw away a couple of times but I worked up my courage and pressed my small yellow paw down on the surface of the emerald green stone. I felt a huge power increase, I could tell my body was unable to hold such power. I began to glow white as I stood up, I could feel my skeletal structure change, I could feel it get bigger and broader. My tail straightened and grew longer, my tail end still had a small lightening bolt. My legs became bigger, more muscular. My feet grew in size giving me more stability. My fur hanged colour, grew for the tips of my feet, my paws, my ears and my stripes. My belly was white and body was orange. My ears widened and grew bigger giving me better hearing. About a minute later my evolution had finished. I stood looking at the window and I saw what I had become, I could see that my Pikachu face had not changed at all. My body is now of a Raichu but my face is still the same. I began to fear that my evolution was a mistake as I looked at my face. "Will Ash still like me?" I said to myself. "He did say he loved me as I am his pokemon, I hope me changing into a Raichu won't affect that". I then realised my personality hadn't changed either, which meant I'm still Pikachu on the inside. I began to check myself out, I extended my new leg and looked it over, I could see that if I did agility I would probably be too fast for my opponent or Ash to see. I looked to see what I could on my back and I noticed that my two stripes were longer. I looked at the clock and the time said. "01:36". I decided to sleep but not where Ash could see me so I jumped down and hid behind the backpacks and I soon fell asleep.  
  
That morning I woke up as I heard Ash shouting me form almost anywhere in the Pokemon Centre. I decided not to make him worry any longer so I jumped out from behind the backpacks and on to the table. Brock was the first to see me as he was looking around where they slept. He stared as he saw my collar around my neck, I could tell he was speechless as he tried to shout but couldn't make a sound. I turned and as loud as I could I shouted out. "Raaiiiichhuuuu". Ash and Misty turned in shock when I shouted. Ahs became unsteady and staggered over to me. "P, P, Pikachu?" He sputtered. I just nodded and put a paw to the collar. He picked me up and hugged me as if I was the only one he knew and he began to cry. "Pikachu" He said again. I heard a bit of happiness in his voice which made me think he wanted me to evolve but I could easily tell why he was crying. After he stopped crying, he looked at my face and he noticed that it was still a face of a Pikachu. "Like I said Pikachu. I still love you as you are my pokemon and you are still Pikachu on the inside". He said with a smile on his face. I felt a whole lot better now knowing he still liked me and I could tell our relationship had grown because of my evolution. We were now closer to each other than we had ever been. 


End file.
